Lakers forward LeBron James, left, glides past Washington Wizards forward Davis Bertans on his way to the basket during the first half of Friday’s game at Staples Center. James had 23 points and 11 assists in a blowout win. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Lakers forward LeBron James, left, glides past Washington Wizards forward Davis Bertans on his way to the basket during the first half of Friday’s game at Staples Center. James had 23 points and 11 assists in a blowout win. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani, center, watches along with Flea, left, of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Ohtani’s interpreter Ippei Mizuhara during the second half of Friday’s game between the Lakers and the Washington Wizards at Staples Center. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES — A perennial holiday question: What do you get for the team that has it all?

Even though the Lakers have been winning, there’s something they haven’t had much of lately: breathing room. Their previous five wins heading into Friday night had an average margin of 4.6 points, with three of those games decided in the final five seconds.

There was no audible exhale as JaVale McGee knocked down a third-quarter free throw, giving the Lakers a 39-point lead over the Washington Wizards for their largest lead of the season. But there was a general air of relief that the Lakers, who have made a habit of close games against struggling teams, didn’t make anything too hard on themselves in a 125-103 victory on Friday night, their 10th in a row.

It’s a test all championship-caliber teams face: Against a lesser opponent, they still have to play to their own standard. The Lakers aced this one.

“I think we were tested every night,” Anthony Davis said. “We’re going to get every team’s best shot, no matter what because of who we are.”

Against the worst defense in the NBA, the Lakers (17-2) enjoyed a post-Thanksgiving feast. They scored at least 33 points in each of the first three quarters. Davis (26 points, 13 rebounds) woke the team up from an early lull, while LeBron James (23 points, 11 assists) helped conduct a blistering 20-2 third-quarter run to douse the Wizards for good.

It was comfortable enough that the Lakers had the shortest stints of the season for both James (24 minutes) and Davis (27 minutes).

Bench help stepped in. Quinn Cook (17 points) and Rajon Rondo (13 points) were the leading scorers among the reserves, who poured in 46 points. McGee, who started, finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots in 21 minutes.

A team with the NBA’s best record should hold lesser competition at arm’s length. For the Lakers, it was the most one-sided game they’ve played in two weeks to complete a 14-1 record in November.

The Lakers debuted gold, Shaq-inspired jerseys, but it felt like a throwback in more ways than one. The last time the Lakers won 14 games in a month was in May of 2000, during the first of O’Neal’s three consecutive championship seasons with the franchise. Ten straight wins is the longest streak the Lakers have enjoyed since 2009.

Coach Frank Vogel was proud to have achieved one of the better monthly marks in franchise history, even if it did come against a softer portion of the schedule. He challenged the Lakers pregame to not wait for a loss to find ways to improve.

“To our guys’ credit, they handled that level of adversity and were able to overcome those games, and just keep getting Ws,” he said. “So I’m proud of what they were able to accomplish this month.”

The massive specter of Davis’ New Orleans return dissipated on Wednesday night, leading into a relaxing holiday after a 4-0 trip. The more challenging portion of the Lakers’ season looms ahead, beginning Sunday afternoon against the Dallas Mavericks.

The game against the Wizards landed squarely in the middle, drifting somewhere in the doldrums.

This made for a predictably slow start – something the Lakers are familiar with. Rui Hachimura, Washington’s first-round draft pick, led out the gate with two quick baskets against Davis as his team shot out to a quick 9-0 lead. James was careless early, coughing up four turnovers in just four minutes.

Out of a timeout, the veteran Lakers shot out to a 26-4 run to make a blowout of the game even in the opening frame. It’s the kind of turn the Lakers would like to make more consistently.

“We had a couple of games teams are jumping on us, even at home,” Danny Green said. “We have been pacing ourselves pretty good and third quarter, we come out second half doing pretty well but we got to do it for four quarters, one period at a time.”

The return of Moritz Wagner provided a mildly engaging subplot to the fourth quarter. A 2018 Lakers first-round draft pick traded away this summer to create additional salary cap space, Wagner was no competition for Davis during the meaningful portion of the game.

But he played antagonist against Dwight Howard, who incidentally played briefly for the Wizards last year in an injury-shortened season. Wagner drew a technical foul from Howard, who flexed on him after laying down a massive dunk. On the ensuing play, Howard was called for a goaltend on Wagner, then the second-year forward got in position to draw a charge on Howard on the ensuing Lakers possession.

Unfortunately, Wagner’s night as visiting heel ended in the locker room. He appeared to be injured after former teammate McGee landed on his ankle. Wagner finished with seven points, while fellow former Laker Isaac Bonga had six points in garbage time.

The Lakers didn’t leave the game cleanly either: Kyle Kuzma sprained his left ankle late in the third quarter, and while he initially started playing through it, he went to the locker room early. Vogel said X-rays showed no serious injury, and that Kuzma would be day-to-day.

Kyle Goon covers the Lakers for the Southern California News Group. Before taking his talents to Los Angeles, he worked for The Salt Lake Tribune for eight years, covering everything from high school rodeo to the Utah Jazz. Gregg Popovich once baptized him by fire in a media scrum.

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